Andy Timmons – That Was Then, This Is Now

Andy’s been around awhile, even though his isn’t exactly a household name. He was the guitarist in the pop/metal band Danger Danger a few years back, and he’s done sessions with numerous musicians. He’s also toured with Steve Vai (founder of Favored Nations) and Joe Satriani on the G3 tours.

Here, on a mixture of stuff previously released in Japan, and new stuff, he gets ample room to show off his chops. Of the 16 cuts here, 15 are instrumentals. If I had to describe the music, I’d call it melodic metal (although I’m not sure such a style exists). All of the cuts have very memorable, hummable melodies. Check out “Super ’70s.” It’s a pop thing with some nasty solos and a fresh sound. Dynamically, it switches around nicely, too, going from the pop to a nice, slow, melodic middle, to a hell-bent-for-leather rockin’ finish.

You could say the same for most of these cuts. A couple are tributes; “Electric Gypsy” showcases a soulful nod to Hendrix. “I Remember Stevie” pays homage to SRV without becoming a retread. Mostly though, Andy stays with his own style. He has insane chops. Dive bombs, wailing harmonics, and metallic shredding runs never get in the way of the song. While that sounds like an easy trick, try listening to any number of metal players who can’t do it, and continually put their virtuosity in the way of the tunes. That’s never a problem for Timmons.

From funk to pop to blues to country, it’s all covered here, and Timmons’ style and personality always shine through.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sep. ’01 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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